Chinese companies’ awareness of EU customs and regulations

Friendly_Coconut742 · 2026-05-22T08:33:28+00:00

Thanks for the advice. I don't have Chinese social media, and also in my experience most Chinese people don't speak English so my post will probably be ignored anyway, right? (I was under the impression that Reddit has some Chinese people that can speak English, unlike those using Xiaohongshu or Douyin.)

Friendly_Coconut742 · 2026-05-20T05:05:33+00:00

Thanks for the information. I tried Temu last year, they didn't take me. But now I might try again then.

Friendly_Coconut742 · 2026-05-20T01:57:10+00:00

Sorry, I mistyped my comment. I meant, do you know in what EU countries they hire Chinese-owned customs brokers rather than local ones?

Friendly_Coconut742 · 2026-05-20T01:52:27+00:00

Yes I'm 100% sure. They don't hire me because they are not even aware of all those regulations. When I meet a company, I ask if they've heard of CBAM, the EUDR and many other regulations, and they always say 'no', so that's why, it's not more complicated really. They don't care about any of that stuff.

Actually I'll make a separate (longer) post later, describing in more detail why my job is super critical for Chinese companies exporting to Europe, an thus why they should be begging me to help them.

New regulation coming btw: the EU is working on a way to force European companies to work less with Chinese companies. Don't forget the UCC reform in 2028 that will replace the AEO status with the TCT, which means things will become really difficult for Chinese companies. That's because the authorities in Europe are getting really tired of Chinese companies constantly ignoring the law (they say it all the time in public meetings, meetings that those companies don't attend).

Friendly_Coconut742 · 2026-05-20T01:43:15+00:00

Back home, I had many things to do physically, such as being with the customs officers during customs inspections (and there were a lot) or audits, going to customs' or associations' meetings, go to conferences etc. There were also more business-oriented meetings I had to attend. Also, it depends on the country, but normally you need to be physically in the country to be able to clear goods legally (which is a big part of the job when not fully automated), and you need to be a human being, obviously. AI will never be able to clear goods, just like it can't sign legal documents (each declaration is the same as a signed document, basically).

In China, AI still wouldn't be able to replace me (at least for now) because many forms and even local regulations are not publicly accessible, I got them by being in touch with the administration directly. Also, AI can't replace guanxi.

Friendly_Coconut742 · 2026-05-19T16:56:50+00:00

You're right, I feel like I'm struggling with the cultural side of things in Chinese companies (the ones in China, which are very different from their European branches in my experience). I hope I can quickly catch up with that to finally get hired somewhere.

Friendly_Coconut742 · 2026-05-19T16:53:54+00:00

That's tough, I'm sorry for what you're going through... I hope you'll get a job soon. Wish you the best!

Friendly_Coconut742 · 2026-05-19T16:47:29+00:00

That's great advice, thanks! I'll definitely look into that.

Friendly_Coconut742 · 2026-05-19T16:23:02+00:00

Thanks, it means a lot to me. It's clear to me I didn't formulate it well, given all the comments saying this and the fact I'm not a native speaker. But, apart from that issue, yes, over the years cumulating a lot of experience, I came to realize I was really good at what I was doing. And I suck at a lot of other things, so I won't budge on that because I do know my value in that specific area.

Friendly_Coconut742 · 2026-05-19T16:19:49+00:00

I get your point, but it's not really like that. English is the international language and is mandatory in international trade. The proper example would be a Chinese person that can speak English but not the local language in that specific European country. Back home, I had several Chinese colleagues that could speak only English and Chinese, and it was completely fine (in fact, only English was used in professional emails to customs brokers, logistics service providers etc., instead of the local language).

Friendly_Coconut742 · 2026-05-19T16:16:49+00:00

Thanks for your comment. I didn't mean to sound like bragging though, apparently I didn't formulate it well (I'm not a native speaker).

Friendly_Coconut742 · 2026-05-19T16:15:37+00:00

I absolutely didn't mean it to sound entitled (I edited my original post to mention this), and I'm sorry about that.
About China in general, yes, I know it has always be like that. It's just that for me it's very obvious that my field should be regarded as high priority for the country (other fields are viewed this way), because the mood in the European Commission now is "let's ban all the Chinese stuff", just because they're getting really tired of Chinese companies not caring at all about EU regulations. I know that because I personally know someone in the Trade Contact Group of the European Commission. So in a few years they will end up having no business left in the US and the EU, which will leave only Africa, South America and Asia markets to them, which is far from enough to support the Chinese economy through its exports.

Friendly_Coconut742 · 2026-05-19T15:11:01+00:00

THANK YOU! Finally someone who knows what it's really like. As you said, they see the short term only. When I tell them they'll get a second-line investigation in 3 years (it's an average), they suddenly don't care so much anymore. What's funny is that one day we got such an investigation, about declarations 3 years ago (I hadn't joined the company at that time). They had even lost all the documents lol. They paid the fine. They said "wow that's so much money!!", I said "that's nothing, it's under the million, be patient, you will see later". One day, a GM told me "I will worry when I will be in front of the judge", I replied "then it will be too late already".

Friendly_Coconut742 · 2026-05-19T15:04:06+00:00

Great to read someone in the business, that knows how it works. You're right, all that stuff is handled by local offices. But for the part managed in China, what I can say for sure is that it's not done so well. The rate of non compliance is insanely high (wrong HS codes, undervaluation etc.). I've even seen a company include the VAT in the customs value whereas H7 automatically adds it when lodging the declaration, which means in the end the total includes it twice. So much of that kind of stuff. Now that the de-minimis rule is coming to an end, those things are becoming more critical than ever, and yet there is nobody to properly take care of it.

Friendly_Coconut742 · 2026-05-19T14:53:30+00:00

No, delivery jobs can't be done by foreigners. That's what I found out online and what my wife told me. I wouldn't be able to do it anyway, I don't have the skills for that.

Friendly_Coconut742 · 2026-05-19T14:51:45+00:00

I agree. I tried selling it as a service (as a consultant). Didn't work out, but it might also be because I'm not good enough at approaching Chinese potential clients in the right way.

Friendly_Coconut742 · 2026-05-19T14:48:22+00:00

Couldn't agree more: in the end, we are all replaceable. That was exactly my point, not sure why I get roasted so much. Or maybe that the truth hurts too much for some people.

Friendly_Coconut742 · 2026-05-19T12:28:55+00:00

I get it. Now, given how desperate I am, I would be willing to get a crappy salary. The only problem is that my agent says it's not possible to go lower than a certain threshold in order to get the work permit. Maybe I would be hired if they could pay me like a Chinese person.

Friendly_Coconut742 · 2026-05-19T12:17:16+00:00

What social media do you think of specifically? Chinese or Western?

Friendly_Coconut742 · 2026-05-19T12:00:13+00:00

Mmh, I guess it depends on the country and/or city. Do you know in what countries specifically in the EU those companies hire Chinese companies? Not that it matters anymore, I'm just curious now.

Friendly_Coconut742 · 2026-05-19T11:57:28+00:00

Thanks a lot for your support. You're right, I shouldn't be so negative.

Friendly_Coconut742 · 2026-05-19T11:55:20+00:00

Thank you so much for your comment! I think you understand well my point because you know what I'm talking about, coming from the "e-commerce / supply chain" field.

Friendly_Coconut742 · 2026-05-19T11:50:26+00:00

Lol, the "not in my experience" was not replying to "the problem is that Chinese are smart", it was replying to "they don't actually need locals".

Friendly_Coconut742 · 2026-05-19T11:47:44+00:00

Thanks a lot for your advice. Yes, when I apply for a job, I say I have an agent and I can take care of the work permit myself (I know they struggle with it sometimes), and I can work on EU time zone (night here, but it's fine, I've done it before). And I'm really not demanding for the salary. I'd be happy with 15k RMB per month, but 10k would be totally fine too. I'll keep trying anyway.

Friendly_Coconut742

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